1. College Planning Night
Stewarts Creek high school
Counseling department
Christine Byrd a-d
Angie gardner e-k
Johanna matthews l-r
Katy kennedy s-z

2. Agenda What Is College? Paying for college Planning for college
Types of colleges in Tennessee
Paying for college
Tennessee Promise
Scholarships
Planning for college
Question and Answer

3. Types of Degrees
Diploma and Certificate: take less than a year to two years to complete and focus on a specific skill or career. These programs are offered at Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (example: TCAT Murfreesboro, TCAT Nashville)
Associate’s Degree: two-year degrees offered at community colleges (example: Motlow State Community College, Columbia State Community College)
Bachelor’s Degree: four-year degrees offered at public and private four-year colleges and universities (example: University of Tennessee, Middle Tennessee State University, University of Memphis, Vanderbilt University)

4. College of Applied Tech (TCAT) Community College (2-yr)
Types of Colleges
College of Applied Tech (TCAT)
Community College (2-yr)
University (4-year)

5. TCAT
Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCAT): Tennessee’s provider of state-of-the-art technical training for workers to obtain the technical skills and professional training to enter the workforce. Students can earn certificates and diplomas here. Some programs are less than 1 year.
Brittany Jones – Smyrna Campus –
Cindy Beverly – Murfreesboro Campus–
*Adapted from Bigfuture.Collegeboard.org

6. 2-Year Community Colleges
Community College: Offers associate degree and certificate programs that focus on preparing you for a certain career. Also, offers two-year associate degrees that prepare you to transfer to a four-year college to earn a bachelor's degree.
Jonathan Graham – MSCC –

7. Private and Public 4-Year Colleges
4-year colleges and universities offer bachelor degree programs.
Public Colleges: funded by local and state governments and usually offer lower tuition rates than private colleges, especially for students who are residents of the state where a college is located. Public colleges in Tennessee include the University of Tennessee System, such as University of Tennessee- Knoxville, as well as Middle Tennessee State University and East Tennessee State University.
Private colleges : schools that rely mainly on tuition, fees and private sources of funding. Private donations can sometimes provide generous financial aid packages for students. Private colleges in Tennessee are often members of the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association (TICUA)*
*Adapted from Bigfuture/Collegboard.org

8. MTSU
Joey Clark – MTSU –

9. Paying For College
Developing a plan to pay for college can feel overwhelming. Fortunately for students in Tennessee, there are many options available to help reduce the cost of attending college, including
FAFSA
The Tennessee Promise
Scholarships and Awards

10. FAFSA Free Application for Federal Student Aid
The FAFSA is an online form that uses a student and their family’s information to help calculate how much financial aid a student qualifies for
Federal programs: Pell grant, subsidized student loans, work study
State programs: Tennessee Promise, Hope Scholarship and more!
Most colleges also use the information on the FAFSA to calculate financial aid.

11. www.fafsa.gov (VERY IMPORTANT!)
Available October 1, 2018
(VERY IMPORTANT!)
Student AND parent will create FSA ID usernames/passwords (fsaid.ed.gov) to sign electronically
Student and parent will submit FAFSA using IRS Data Retrieval Tool to upload 2017 tax information

12. Your FAFSA Timeline
The FAFSA will officially open for your student on October 1, 2018
Our school will host several opportunities for you to receive help with the FAFSA, including:
Date: Financial Aid Workshop- September 18th, 2018 from 6-7
Date: October 18th, 2018 from 3-6
Date: January 22nd, 2019 from 12-3
1st Monday of each month beginning October 1st through January 6th from 12:30-2:30

13. Tennessee Promise
Apply to the Tennessee Promise program at by November 1, 2018
Complete FAFSA at
Attend a mandatory meeting as coordinated by Tennessee Achieves
Complete 8 hours of community service
Students selected for FAFSA verification must submit material to the college
The Tennessee Promise is a financial aid program offering two years of tuition-free community or technical college to Tennessee high school graduates beginning with the Class of 2015.
Tennessee Promise provides eligible students with a last-dollar scholarship, meaning the scholarship will cover tuition and fees not covered by the Pell grant, the HOPE scholarship, or TSAA.
Each Tennessee Promise Scholar will receive a mentor who will provide guidance and assistance as the student enters higher education.
Mentors are provided by a partnering organization designated by the mayor of every Tennessee county.
Our county’s partnering organization is [(REDI, tnAchieves, Ayers Foundation)].
To be eligible to receive a Tennessee Promise Scholarship, a student must (beyond the checklist) enroll in a community or technical college the fall after graduation. (Students attending a TCAT may enroll the summer following their high school graduation.)

14. Tennessee Hope Scholarship (2-yr)
$1,500 per semester
21 ACT/SAT or 3.0 GPA*
GAMS
$500 per semester
29 ACT/SAT & 3.75 GPA*
Aspire Award
$250 per semester
Parents AGI <=$36,000
Entering freshmen must:
Apply by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), available at Applications must be received by September 1st for fall semester, February 1st for spring and summer semesters. Early application is recommended.
Have been a Tennessee resident for one year by September 1 of the application date. For students beginning spring and summer terms, residency determined by February 1 as of application date.
Graduate from a TN eligible high school.
Enroll in one of the eligible Tennessee public colleges, universities, or private colleges. 
Entering freshmen must achieve a minimum of a 21 ACT (980 SAT), exclusive of the essay and optional subject area battery tests OR overall weighted* minimum 3.0 grade point average (GPA).
Must enroll within 16 months following high school graduation at any eligible postsecondary institution. However, enrollment at an ineligible postsecondary institution during the 16 months will make the student permanently ineligible.
Award amounts are available for summer enrollment.
*Weighted grade point average means a grade point average on a 4.0 scale calculated with additional internal quality points awarded for advanced placement, honors or other similar courses according to the Uniform Grading Policy adopted by the State Board of Education.
Students must meet the following requirements
Students graduating from a Tennessee public school or category 1, 2, 3 private school must have a minimum 3.75 weighted* GPA AND 29 ACT (1280 SAT), exclusive of the essay and optional subject area battery tests.
ACT/SAT exams must be taken on a national test date or state test date and prior to the first day of college enrollment after high school graduation. The ACT Residual test is not accepted.
Up to $500 per semester as a supplement to the HOPE Scholarship; including summer
Students must complete the Federal Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) to be eligible for Tennessee state grants
Students must meet the following requirements:
Meet Tennessee HOPE Scholarship requirements AND
Must have parents’ or independent student’s and spouse’s adjusted gross income of $36,000 or less on IRS tax form
For entering freshmen beginning with fall 2015 and thereafter:
Four-Year Institutions: Up to $750 per semester as a supplement to the HOPE Scholarship; including summer
Two-Year Institutions: Up to $250 per semester as a supplement to the HOPE Scholarship; including summer

15. Tennessee Hope Scholarship (4-yr)
$1,750/sem then $2,250/sem
21 ACT/SAT or 3.0 GPA*
GAMS
$500 per semester
29 ACT/SAT & 3.75 GPA*
Aspire Award
$750 per semester
Parents AGI <=$36,000
For more information on Tennessee eligible high schools, please see the College Planning Night Implementation Guide.
For more information on ACT and other Tennessee Hope Scholarship test score requirements for GED recipients and HiSet recipients, please see the College Planning Night Implementation Guide.
For more information on eligible postsecondary institutions, please contact the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation

16. State Grants Available to Tennessee High School Students
TSAA
$1,000 – $4,000 per academic year
0 – 2,100 EFC January 17
Ned McWherter
Up to $6,000/ academic year
29 ACT & GPA* February 15
Wilder- Naifeh
$2,000 per academic year
Certificate/ Diploma TCAT
Students must meet the following requirements:
have a valid Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of 2100 or less, and
be a U.S. citizen and Tennessee resident, if a dependent student, parents must also be a Tennessee resident, and
be enrolled at least half time at an eligible Tennessee postsecondary institution, and
maintain institutional satisfactory academic progress according to the standards and practices of the institution, and
not be in default on a loan or owe a refund on any grant previously received at any institution, and
who have not received a baccalaureate degree.
Complete the FAFSA by January 17
Students must complete the Federal Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) to be eligible for Tennessee state grants
See more at:
Wilder-Naifeh Technical Skills Grant: available to Tennessee students who enroll in a certificate or diploma program at a Tennessee College of Applied Technology and maintain satisfactory academic progress and continuous enrollment.
Tennessee Hope Foster Child Tuition Grant: available to students who in addition to meeting the minimum HOPE and HOPE Access Grant eligibility requirements, presents the TSAC with official certification from the Department of Children’s Services that the student meets the eligibility requirement for the HOPE Foster Child Tuition Grant.
Students must complete the Federal Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) to be eligible for Tennessee state grants

17. Planning for College
Senior year of high school is a busy and exciting time! In addition to being the leaders of SCHS you will also be taking the next steps towards college and your career.
Senior year timeline:
Summer
12th Grade Fall
12th Grade Spring

18. Jumpstart Your College Search This Summer
Nashville National College Fair – May 6th, 2018 at the Music City Center from 1-3
Get online! Research colleges that you are interested in. Look for admissions requirements, and required GPA and ACT scores.
Go on college visits.
Check on AP credits.
If you haven’t already, make a list of activities you’ve participated in, volunteer experiences, honors and awards since 9th grade.
Review the application procedures for schools you plan to apply to. Write down and keep track of deadlines!
Consider what you are looking for: location, size, academics, campus life, $COST$
Make a list of your top choices.

19. Senior Year – Fall Semester
Senior meetings with counselor
Take and retake the ACT/SAT
Apply to several colleges (admissions, institutional aid, etc.) and utilize their net price calculators
Request transcripts from the counseling office
Request letters of recommendation if necessary
Apply for local/private scholarships
Student AND parent will create FSA IDs (fsaid.ed.gov) to...
Complete FAFSA available October 1, 2018
DON’T MISS EARLY DECEMBER DEADLINES!

20. Senior Year – Spring Semester
Continue to complete local/private scholarship applications
Review college acceptances
Compare financial aid packages
Apply for housing if necessary
Ask questions and follow up as needed
Make your final decision!

21. CollegeforTN
To get your college process started, visit the link below:

22. Questions?

23. Contact Information
Christine Byrd – A-D –
Angie Gardner – E-K –
Johanna Matthews – L-R –
Katy Kennedy – S-Z –